Thread: Microsoft (Decline Of)

Windows Seven - At Last!

Chronogical Blog Entries:

Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:01:20 +1100

The Windows Seven Launch has taken place with predictable spin and hype
from the usual suspects. This time (the so-called) "experts" tell us ... "This
is the Best Windows Ever!". This time it is going to be "A reason for
businesses everywhere to upgrade their computing systems". "This will lift PC
sales". "This will start a move towards 64-bit operating systems" "Boost tech
sales!" ... Blah-de blah blah de-blah!

But wait just a moment! ... Doesn't all this sound a little familiar?

Ahh yes dear reader. It should sound familiar! ... Because it is
exactly the same spin that we heard about Vista! But why would you be
surprised about that? It is just what you should expect to accompany a
distribution that is no more than SP2 for Vista. In fact if it turns out that
Microsoft have indeed fixed the many serious problems in Vista ... Then they
have over-charged their customers. Because it should have been shipped
free of charge.

Windows Seven will fail, in exactly the same way that Vista has failed,
and for exactly the same reasons. You read it first here!

The fact that Vista users are willing to part with so much of their
hard-earned cash to purchase the latest service pack is testimony to the
remarkable marketing skills of Microsoft as well as to how truly dreadful
Vista was, rather than the quality of the latest service pack (aka Windows
Seven).

Of course there are a couple of blogs about how marvellous Windows Seven
is when you upgrade your XP machine. What!?? Now why does that seem to
not ring true dear reader? Isn't it a little difficult to believe that
there is anyone out there in the real world, foolish enough to contemplate
downgrading their perfectly good (almost working) XP computer? Having
successfully resisted the hype and bovine shite that accompanied the Vista
launch? Well it does stretch the limits of credulity! Your humble blogger
hopes that someone investigates those bloggers who claim to be just plain
folks installing Windows Seven on their old XP machines! Seriously dear
reader! ... Unless your XP machine was completely broken, your humble blogger
would expect, that if you had a problem with it, you'd ask the tech to
re-install XP! ... Or maybe you have gotten smart and are ready to try
installing Ubuntu ... And if you don't feel up to the task of installing Ubuntu, just ask your kids to cut an ISO disk and give it to grandma and ask her to install it for you. It is without doubt the easiest operating system to install in the entire universe.
But where would one find a computer user, not confined to a lunatic asylum that is,
who would actually install Windows Seven on an old XP machine for their own personal use?

Well, we already know that there are lot of gullible people. They were the
ones who bought Vista two years ago. And any shopper, who doesn't know much
about computing, purchasing a new PC, will get Windows Seven of course.
Because they don't know any better, and that's all the chain stores supply
anyway.

And as to the claim that corporate professionals, people who make a living out of computing and communications, will rush out and
purchase Windows Seven for their business environment? Well let's examine that
a little closer. Consider the following disadvantages:

Cost. For a business that has a few thousand XP bums on
seats, that's a lot of money to shell out! Consider, first of all, that in
most cases Windows Seven will require a new machine. And for those rare
cases that do not require a new machine, it will require a clean install.
In other words someone has to wipe the old system clean and re-install a
new one. The bill will be a big 7 figure amount.

Incompatibility Microsoft has made sure that the latest
suite of Office and other Microsoftware will work ... Sort of .. But all
those little programs! ... The script that prints out information for your
operations staff from some server in another state.. The other scripts
which some dim-bulb foolishly moved to a Windows workstation ... The
programs that hook up with your outsourced printing services ... Not to
mention interfaces to your clients ... Oh and the other little reporting
applications that generate the CSV files you send to your Financial
controller ... A lot of those things are going to stop working! And even
if they do work, someone is going to have to test them out thoroughly
before you cut-over.

Learning Curve Oh and don't forget! Just about all your
data entry clerks, customer service officers and operations staff will
have to be re-trained! That's because they won't be able to find anything
in the Windows Seven menu system.

Yeah, you could just run everything in XP mode and that would get you out
of most of your difficulties ... But come to think of it! Why not just leave
XP on all the workstations?. Hey why don't you just wait until Windows Eight
comes out and in the meantime, save about $7 million?

Bit hard to argue with the maths. But your humble blogger would like to
see a sound case in dollars for turning the whole organisation upside down for
a month!

Now if you only have six XP bums on seats and you are a small business
without a mainframe, without several AIX machines and no national network ...
You might not find Windows Seven so costly. Also you might go for the cheap
$1000 computers in the Green Guide. But hey! You resisted the Vista hype. Why
not save $6K and defer the upgrade until Windows Eight?

Remarkably, this sort of mathematics, hasn't occurred to the Microsoft
mainstream. Which sorta shows how out of touch they are ... They have been too
busy selling new operating systems to consumers who really only need a browser
and mail user agent. After all, those consumers bought Vista, so won't they
buy Windows Seven? Well they will! The average consumer doesn't know any
better. Their home computer is now so burdened with viruses, trojans, worms,
spam and other Microsoft crapware, that a new machine will positively sparkle!

The propagation of the story that Microsoft computers "just slow down
after a couple of months" has been another marketing triumph for Microsoft and
has helped boost their sales. The computer illterati regularly go shopping and
purchase the latest Microsoftware with a new PC because their home computer
has slowed down!

If you are one of these unfortunates, dear reader, your humble blogger has
some news that you probably don't want to hear. The reason your home computer
is so slow, is because it is so busy. If you're unlucky, it's busy searching
your disk for passwords and credit card numbers which it will pass on to a
Florida or Russian spam gang. But more likely, it's busy sending spam to other
unfortunate Internet users ... And it's very busy trying to infect other sad
little microsofties with the same malware!

Sadly, the anti-virus software you purchased is constantly playing
catch-up But you will get a brand new suite when you purchase Windows Seven.
You can rest assured of that. And it will be really fast! Umm, for the
first month or so ... And Come to think of it ... Isn't it strange how
Microsoft computers always slow down after the first month or so? And the
light on the modem keeps on blinking furiously? Even when you aren't using the
darned thing? Funny? Yeah real funny! Just don't die laughing.

Nevertheless the (so-called) experts are telling us that many of you
business folk, who occasionally read this humble blog, just can't wait to get
out there and purchase some more computers and downgrade your entire computer
infrastructure as the home users have done and are doing as you read this.

Which, for the reasons listed above, is why your humble blogger predicts
that it will be a much tougher market then the soft-sell the Microsoft
friendly bloggers hope for.

Don't expect Windows Seven on many corporate desktops in the next year or
so.